The Doctor and the Big Bad Wolf
by Whovian and proud of it
Summary: The broken man leaves his home after his whole family has died, to travel to the distinct village of Torchwood. As he settles there, he finds out about a monster that lives in the forest. A huge wolf that kills the villagers. Driven by grief of his loss, he starts searching for the monster. Instead, he finds a girl. But she's no ordinary girl. Who is she? And what about the wolf?
1. Presentation

**THE DOCTOR AND THE BIG BAD WOLF**

Hello! This is a new story I'm going to start writing, hopefully next week. It's AU, and about The Doctor and Rose, of course, because I love them so much. I try to make some same stuff in this story as in the series, some stuff you might recognize. In this story the Doctor is the tenth (David Tennant) since I believe that they were (and still are) the perfect couple, but you can imagine that it's the ninth, or perhaps eleventh Doctor if you like.

This story will be about hurt and loss, maybe even death, but in the end, it will be about love. It will be about love so strong, it pushes away people's inner demons (or perhaps wolves).

I haven't written any Ten/Rose fan fictions yet, this one is my first. I will do my best to get the Doctor and Rose into character, but if you have anything to say, or point out, please tell me. I appreciate criticism, or I won't get better, but please motivate. It's not nice if someone writes "I hate this story" or alike. If you don't like this, then don't read it instead of posting mean comments.

For those who haven't read any of my other stuff, then be warned. I use quite a lot of cliches, and all my stuff is very fluffy. I try to have a bit of comedy and action too, but you might not like my sense of humor, it can be really bad sometimes :P If you like Jelsa, then check out my other stories.

And finally, just so you know, reviews make my day. They keep me going. So tell me what you think, bad sides and good sides, and maybe if you have any ideas to the story, tell me. If I can I'll make it happen. Just review!

Now there's not much to say anymore, I'll post the first chapter hopefully this weekend, I've already started, and it's almost finished. I try to update once a week, and my chapters are often about 1000 words, at least I try to keep them long. And usually they end with cliffhangers, so don't kill me, I warned you!

Now, here's the summary, this one is different, it's longer, since I can't put where you see the title when you look for stories.

_The broken man leaves his home after his whole family has died, to travel to the distinct village of Torchwood. As he settles there, he finds out about a monster that lives in the forest. A huge wolf that kills the villagers. Driven by grief of his loss, hoping to die, he starts searching for the monster. Instead, he finds a girl. But she's no ordinary girl. Who is she? And what is the monster that hides in the darkness?_

As you can see, I'm a real drama queen. Hope you like it.

Now, hopefully I'll see you guys sometime this week, give me a review on this so I know what you think of it. Hugs!

**PS: Go Whovians!**

**-Whovian and proud of it**


	2. Chapter 1: The wolf

**Chapter 1: The wolf**

The moon shines upon the man as he rides down the small path. The small stars glisten, but he cannot see them. The Doctor haven't seen them in a long time. In his mind, everything is dark.

The white horse sniffs in the air, and the man feels it tens under him, stopping on the path.

"What is it boy?" he whispers soothingly to the horse, patting its neck. The horse twists its ears towards him, listening to his master.

The Doctor looks up from the horse to watch his surroundings. The moon doesn't give much light, and the trees are cast in darkness. Everything is silent.

Just when he is about to incite his horse to continue their journey, the silence is broken. By a howl.

The man also tenses in the saddle.

"_Wolves_" he thinks to himself. He grabs his rifle from one of the saddlebags, listening for further danger, or a sign that the wolves are closing up. Nothing. The forest is silent again.

He slowly breaths out, and patting his horse again, it starts walking. The hooves hit the ground with small thumps.

The man yawns, closing his eyes. He has been travelling for hours, and it's been days since he slept a whole night. He hasn't slept _well_ since… since _that_ day. Even though it's half a year ago, he still hears his family's laughter, he still feels his sister's hug. His heart is still broken in a million pieces.

Why did he survive? Why _him_? Why did they have to die? Those questions will never be answered.

Then he hears it again. Howling. And it's closer than before.

His horse tenses again. It's stomps in the ground with its hooves. The next second it's running. They dash trough the forest, listening to the howling that only gets closer. He's gasping in the saddle, holding the horse's mane to his dear life. His steed pants, but keeps it's fast speed up.

"Common boy, faster!" he shouts as he hears the howls coming closer. Pushing his heels to the sides of the horse, trying to get it to gallop faster. Neighing, the horse accelerates.

He tries to keep his eyes on the dark path, trying to see something, some lights, or a sign that the village is getting closer. It shouldn't be far away now. But it's too dark, and the trees are too close to each other. Then he sees something from the corner of his eye.

On his right side, only a couple of meters away, runs something. It keeps the exact same pace as he, but it's running completely silently. Not a footstep can be heard.

He tries to get a better look at the thing that runs beside him. It's black, and it's huge. It almost looks like… a _wolf_. No, it can't be, this thing is almost as big as his horse. But unless it's not a wolf, then what is it?

Then the things lifts it's nose up in the air and howls. Definitely a wolf. A gigantic wolf. Running a fem meters from him. And it seems to be hungry.

He switches his rifle to his other hand, keeping his left hand still in the horse's mane. He closes his one eye, trying to target the monster. It's getting closer, still keeping the exact same pace as he and his horse. Just as he's about to shoot the monster, his horse realizes that the predator is merely a few feet from him, and panicking, it presses its hooves into the ground, stopping dead still on the path. Unprepared of the sudden stop, the Doctor looses his grip of his horse, and flies over its head and down to the ground with a scream.

He hears his horse disappear, and then everything becomes quiet. He lies still in the mud, panting. His whole body is aching, from the ride, the fall, and the adrenaline in his veins. He waits for the monster to dig its teeth into his flesh. He doesn't dare to move an inch.

Nothing happens. After a few minutes, he opens his eyes. No sight of the wolf. He takes a deep breath and slowly rises into sitting position on the ground. His horse is gone. He shivering in the cold air, his clothes covered in mud. He stands up and turns around to see if his animal is anywhere in sight.

And comes eye to eye with the beast.

It's yellow eyes stare straight into his brown ones. He gasps, and then stops breathing. The wolf sniffs in the air. It's absolutely enormous. Standing up, it's eyes are at the exact same height as his. And he's no short man.

The Doctor can't move, either because he's afraid, of because there's something in the its eyes. He seems to disappear in its gaze. As he looks into the wolf's eyes, they seem to change color. They go from dark gold to black, and then to brown. And they don't seem to be animal eyes anymore. If the Doctor was crazy, he would say that they are… human eyes.

The wolf slowly lifts it's lips to show a long line of white, sharp teeth. Then it growls. The Doctor has a hard time trying not to scream. He closes his eyes, his last thought going to his family and friends, awaiting the end. He can almost feel his heart stop already. And he smiles. Finally he can be reunited with his beloved ones. Dying isn't so bad.

Then he hears a shout. He opens his eyes to see the wolf's black tail disappear into the forest. He turns around and sees five men running towards him.

"Oi! You there! You alright?" one of the men shouts. The Doctor swallows slowly, nods, and then he falls to the ground. In his head, he can hear the wolf howling.

* * *

><p><strong>So, here was the first chapter. A little bit of background data, a little bit of action and sorrow, and of course, cliffhangers. They are my specialty.<strong>

**But, what did you think? Leave a review, and I'll see you guys next week :)**


	3. Chapter 2: The story

**Chapter 2: The story**

"Oi, sir, wake up. Wake up!"

The Doctor groans. Where is he? Why does everything ache?

"Yeah, that's it. Now, open your eyes" another voice says.

The Doctor obeys.

It's pretty dark, but the men's torches light up the place. He's sitting on the ground, again, and surrounded by at least six men. Everything is spinning, but slowly he starts to remember what happened. With a leap, he's off the ground.

"The monster, the wolf, where is it? What happened?" he shouts, swirling around, trying to see if the monster is anywhere close. No sign of it. No howls.

"Calm down sir, the monster is gone, it usually doesn't attack if there are more than four."

The Doctor turns around to face the man.

"It doesn't? Thank god." Slowly he relaxes. He then looks at the men around him.

They are seven. Some younger, some older. Their faces are tired, but calm. Five of them are holding torches in their hands. Their clothes are ragged and well used.

"Who might you be, if you don't mind me asking?" one man asks carefully. He's by far the youngest of them. When the Doctor looks closer at him, he doesn't seem to be that old after all. Barely twenty.

"Sorry, I'm the Doctor" he says politely, smiling.

"The Doctor? Doctor who?" asks another man. He's a bit older, about thirty,, in hi best age, and quite good looking. His companions are all mumbling around him about this strange man that appeared from the forest.

"Just the Doctor" he replies. "And you are?"

The man smiles widely.

"Hello. I'm Captain Jack Harkness." He winks his one eye. One of the other men mumble something. Jack continues "And this is Alonso, Ianto, Mickey, Rory, Wilfred and that's Pete." For every name he points at one man. When he said Alonso, the Doctor almost jumped of excitement. This is a dream come true. He NEVER meets anyone named Alonso. Oh, is he gonna have fun with this man!

"So, where am I?" the Doctor asks happily. He is pretty sure where he is, he is very clever after all, but it's polite to ask.

"You're just outside Torchwood, sir" says the man named Mickey, the youngest.

"Torchwood, eh?"

"But sir, it's still not safe here, you should come to the village with us" continues Mickey.

"But you said that it usually never attacks groups this large" replied the Doctor.

"Yeah. Usually" says Jack. There's something about his tone that makes the Doctor uncomfortable. These villagers are truly frightened about this monster. And who wouldn't?

"So, common... Doctor" says the man named Alonso. The Doctor smiles. Perfect.

"Yes, _allonz-y_, Alonso!" he exclaims happily and starts walking towards the village.

"Allonz-y?" asks Wilfred.

"It's French, it means let's go" the Doctor explains happily. He has wanted to say that for ages! But no one's ever named Alonso.

The men mumble. It's very rare that anyone speaks any other language that their own in these parts. This Doctor is surely very clever man.

Happily whistling, the Doctor continues walking towards the men's homes, his rescuers following him slowly. What a strange man...

Soon, they start hearing voices. It's starting to get light, and the village is waking. Children screaming, running around, women trying to catch them to tell them to behave. Animals also help to raise the volume.

The village is surrounded by a small fence, nothing big, just trying to keep kids and animals inside. But it won't help to keep the beast outside.

When they enter the village through a small gate, the men disperse, all going in different directions. They have families of they own to whom they go to. The Doctor can see Wilfred going to two women, a young one, and one middle-aged. The young one hugs him while the middle-aged woman shouts at him.

Alonso disappears along with Jack to help some kids with a stubborn goat.

They seem happy. Their lives might not be easy, but they have mostly what they need. They have friends and family, and the village form one big family together. Everybody knows everybody.

But everything is not okay. When the Doctor looks closer at all the villagers, he sees something. Something they try to hide.

Fear.

Fear fills their eyes. Fear of the monster that lives in the woods.

Deep in thought, the Doctor stands in the village. Suddenly, someone puts his hand on his shoulder. The Doctor flinches. It's Mickey.

"You okay sir" he asks.

The Doctor smiles. "I'm fine, and don't call me sir. Just the Doctor is fine."

Mickey nods.

"So, Mickey. What's going on here?" he asks nonchalantly.

"Sir, I mean, Doctor, what do you mean?" Mickey asks. His voice goes up a little at the end.

"I think you know exactly what I mean."

Silence. The Doctor awaits for Mickey to answer. The poor boy seems pretty unsure.

"Well?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about"

"Oh common Mickey. Just tell me! What was that thing? In the forest?"

Mickey sighs, then he looks around before he answers with a low voice.

"We're not supposed to talk about it, but I guess you deserve to know. It's, well… it's a wolf."

The Doctor stares at Mickey. The boy looks back at him.

"Yes? I did know that much, I stared right at it. What more? Where did it come from? What does it want?" The boy seems to be a bit stupid.

"We don't know where it came from sir-Doctor- it just appeared one day, or night, actually. It just ran out from the forest, right into our village. At first it just ran around, howling and scaring the hell out of all the people, and animals of that matter. We took our weapons, not that we had much, and tried to kill it. But it was just too big, too fast. After a while, it just ran back into the forest. That was maybe… three years ago?" Mickey shivers at the memory. He had only been 17 back then, barely a man.

"Did anyone die?" the Doctor asks carefully.

"No. Not that day. But Rose went missing."

"Rose? Who's Rose?"

"My girlfriend" Mickey looks so sad when he tells the Doctor about Rose. "I thought the wolf had gotten her. She had been in the woods the whole day, she does that a lot. But she always comes back when it gets dark. This time, she didn't. I was so afraid. I loved her. I still do."

"What, you didn't find her? You said no one died?" the Doctor asks. He's a bit confused.

"Well, yes, we found her rambling in the woods the next day. She didn't remember what she'd been doing that night, and we told her about the wolf. She seemed really confused, and scared. We took her home. She stayed in bed all day."

"Then what happened?" The Doctor is trying to understand what had happened. trying to get the puzzle pieces together.

"Well, some men went into the forest the next day to track the wolf down. They couldn't find it anywhere, and most of our hunters are really good at finding animals. No sign of it. The night after, it came back. Just suddenly, the wolf was in the middle of our village. We have no idea how it came there without being noticed by any of us. It seemed really confused and growled and snarled at us. Actually, it didn't seem that dangerous, but we couldn't have a wolf on the loose so near our village. Not one that big. So when it ran back into the forest, ten of our best hunters ran after it."

Mickey stops. It seems as if he's about to cry.

"Continue. It's okay Mickey" the Doctor says softly.

"Six men came back. Many of them were wounded. They said that the wolf had led them into some sort of huge, dark cave, where it killed them one by one. Fortunately, those six got out in time, and got home. The next morning, Rose was gone again. And we didn't find her. And since the wolf was found near her house, we just assumed…"

Mickey stops, unable to finish. And he doesn't have to.

"I'm sorry" the Doctor says. "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, well, we all lost someone that day. And the wolf has been here ever since, killing villagers. And we have no idea how to defend ourselves against it."

* * *

><p><strong>Some background data. I hope you liked it, this chapter is one of few not to end in a terrible cliffhanger. But leave a review, and I'll see you next week. :)<strong>


	4. Chapter 3: Torchwood

**Chapter 3: Torchwood**

"We'll fix it Mickey. That wolf has to die someday, eh?" the Doctor says, trying to cheer that poor boy up. Mickey smiles a little.

"I guess you're right."

"Now, boy, try to be useful and tell me if there's somewhere I could sleep."

"Yeah, sure, you can go to Wilfred. He and his daughter and granddaughter have an inn, or more of a tavern. You can surely sleep there, at least for a while."

"Thank you, just point and I'll be on my way!" the Doctor says cheerfully. Mickey smiles and points at a big house. It's quite in the middle of the village.

"Thanks mate" the Doctor says and claps Mickey on his cheek. Then he starts walking towards the inn.

The sun is soon about to rise, coloring the sky in red and orange. It's quite beautiful. The village is waking up more and more.

The Doctor yawns widely. It'll be nice to sleep in a bed. Hopefully the tavern won't be too expensive.

He stands outside the tavern, looking up at the nameplate over the door. "The Noble Tavern" he reads. "Well, that sounds… expensive."

He enters and looks around. It's not that big, four tables surround a small bar. There stands a young girl, maybe about his age, with red-brownish hair. She's taking orders from the man named Jack. They're both laughing, and Donna's cheeks are red. The Doctor goes to the bar and sits down besides Jack.

"Well, hello there stranger" Jack says. "What were you called. The Doctor?"

"Yep" the Doctor replies happily, popping the 'p'.

"What can I do for you Doctor" the girl asks.

"I'd like a room, please. And maybe a glass of milk."

"Sure, we don't get visitors that often, so the house isn't exactly full. How long do you plan on staying?"

"Well, I think I'll leave tomorrow. Not much for me here, I'm heading towards Scotland."

"Did you come all the way from London?" she asks.

"I sure did. And I still have long way to go. But I also believe I have to buy a horse, since mine ran who knows where."

"You can talk to Ianto tomorrow, he has horses" says Jack.

"Here's the key" says the girl and hands him quite a big key. "Did you want a glass of milk?"

"Yes, please"

"Not much of a drinker are you?" Jack smiles. He drinks up the last of his beer and wipes his mouth on his sleeve.

"No, not really." smiles the Doctor.

"I'm Donna by the way" says the girl and puts down a glass of milk in front of the Doctor. "Donna Noble."

"Oh, so that's why it's the Noble Tavern. I thought it as meant for royals or something" the Doctor smiles. "Nice to meet you Donna, I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor who?" she asks, confused.

"Just the Doctor"

"Oh, okay" she looks at him for a second before she goes to the other end of the bar to serve some other bloke.

The Doctor sips his milk while Jack watches him.

"I saw you talking to Mickey" he starts. "He seemed a bit upset after that."

"Yes."

The Doctor doesn't say anything else.

"What did you talk about?"

The Doctor looks at Jack for a while before he answers.

"Well, I was just curious about that wolf. Mickey told me about it. He also told me about Rose, so I guess that's why he was upset."

Jack's eyes get dark when Rose's name is mentioned.

"That poor girl. So innocent. I miss her"

The Doctor doesn't say anything.

"Well, I might see you tomorrow, I might not, anyways, it was nice meeting you" Jack says and stands up. The Doctor shakes his hand and then Jack turns around to leave.

"By the way, Jack" the Doctor shouts after him. He turns around. "I never got to thank you"

"No problem" Jack replies smiling, then he winks and leaves.

For a while, the Doctor just sits there, thinking about all kinds of stuff. His old home in Scotland. His journey. This poor village. The wolf.

After a while, he drinks the last of his milk and goes up to his room to get a long nights sleep.

* * *

><p>"<em>John, hello!"<em>

_His grampa smiles and gives him a hug. "How are you?"_

"_I'm good" John smiles. "How's grandma?"_

"_Making tea as usual" his grampa laughs._

_They are all together. His whole family, and all his friends. It's Christmas. It's the time of happiness, of good will. _

_And it's all gone now. All taken away from him. He will never see them again._

John sits up in his bed, gasping, his body covered in sweat. Tears are running down his cheeks. He bends his head down and sobs into his hands.

Gone. All gone. He's alone.

* * *

><p>"Good morning Doctor" Donna greets happily.<p>

"Morning Donna" the Doctor replies happily back. "Is there anything to eat?"

"Yeah, sure, we have bread, apples, and I think I even saw a pear."

"Pears? No! Pears are evil, I hate pears!" the Doctor exclaims. Donna seems very surprised. "You do? I love pears. But then I don't have to share." She smiles and goes to get some bread for him.

The Doctor shivers at the thought of pears. Then he ruffles his hair and goes to sit at a table.

Soon, Jack and Ianto sits down at the same table. The Doctor notices they are holding hands.

"Morning Doctor. Sleep well?" Jack asks.

"Always do" the Doctor smiles. "You?"

"Well…" Jack smiles, looking at Ianto.

The Doctor gets it. "Okay, no details please" he smiles.

"So, what are you going to do today?" Ianto asks.

"Weeell, I have to fix some stuff, for example, it seems as if I have to get a new horse. That's not gonna be cheap. Then I have to get some food, and maybe some new clothes, and then you'll get rid of me" he says cheerfully.

"Who says we want you to leave" Jack says slowly, winking his eye.

Ianto grumbles.

The Doctor chuckles. "Weeell, I have stuff to do in Scotland, and it's still far. I want to get there before the first snow starts to fall."

"Sure, okay then. If you want, we could go seek after your horse. Horses in this town are rare, so it's gonna cost to get a new one. And your was a fine one."

"Isn't it dangerous?" the Doctor asks.

"It seems as if the wolf isn't interested during days. We have never seen it in sunlight. Maybe it sleeps" Ianto says. "No one has ever been hurt during day. So it should be pretty safe, we just gotta get back before the sun goes down."

"Well, if it isn't any trouble, then I would be very grateful. I like that horse" the Doctor smiles.

"Well, grab your things, and we'll be on our way" Jack says and jumps up from the chair.

The Doctor nods and goes up the stairs to his room. He only takes a rope with him, so if they find his horse, he can capture it. "I'm coming for you Arthur" he thinks to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>Not a very exiting chapter this one, but wait for it :P<strong>

**I hope you guys will have an amazing Christmas! Leave a review, and Merry Christmas!**


	5. Chapter 4: Search for Arthur

**Chapter 4: Search for Arthur**

The Doctor goes out and finds Jack and Ianto talking to Wilfred. The old man looks up when the Doctor steps out the door, and he looks strangely at the Doctor.

"You going out then?" he asks.

The Doctor nods happily. "Yeah, I like that horse. I'm not sure I even can afford a new one."

Wilfred nods. "Fine then, I'm coming with you. You kids can't behave, someone gotta keep an eye on you. Or perhaps even two."

"Kids?" Jack laughs. "You're not that old Willie. What does Donna or Sylvia think about this?"

"I'm coming too!" says a light voice. They turn around to see Donna walking towards them. She has a big smile on her lips.

"Oh, no you don't!" says Wilfred. "No way! It's too dangerous, and Sylvia needs help with the milk today."

"Don't be ridiculous, she'll be fine, she never wants my dirty hands near that milk anyway. I'm soo bored, and you said there's nothing to fear, the wolf is gone during the days. Just let me come with you, you promised me you were going to show me how to hunt!"

She said all this in one breath. The Doctor seems surprised that someone can say so much that fast. Not even he talks that much. Weell, it depends…

Wilfred sighs. "Fine then, but don't go wander of anywhere. Keep in sight!"

"Suuure, gramps" she says irritated. "It's not like I haven't been in the woods before."

"Well, before there wasn't a gigantic monster there" smiles Ianto.

"No, don't you go on his side now!" shouts Donna, putting her hands on her hips.

"Calm down, I want you to come, I was just saying" he chuckles.

"Who's flirting now?" says Jack. Ianto shrugs smiling, then he takes Jack's hand and they start walking towards the gate.

The Doctor looks after them. Donna puts her arm around her grampa and they too start walking after the pair. The Doctor stays behind, watching them. A lump forms in his throat.

_All alone._

"You coming, Doctor?" shouts Donna.

"Yeah, sorry, I disappeared in my mind" he shouts back and runs after them.

* * *

><p>"Donna, look here. What do you see?"<p>

Donna and Wilfred are bent over a couple of tracks in the ground. Jack and Ianto are talking a few feet away, and the Doctor is tilting against a tree.

"Well, it's definitely a horse." Donna replies. "A pretty big one, so probably yours, Doctor" she continues, looking up at him. "Few of ours are this big. It's going south, and it's been walking, so it's not scared. A few hours ago, at most" she ends, standing up.

"Well done, you're almost as good as I am." Wilfred smiles.

"Almost?" Donna replies.

"Well, you missed the part where it stopped to eat some grass, which indicates it's probably quite hungry. Which means it's looking for food. Which can be found not south, but a little more to the west." He points to the right direction. "The horse will soon find the Dalek-glade, where it will have plenty to eat, but we can get there faster by taking a short cut."

"Damn!" Donna whispers to herself, not too quietly though.

"So, we have a direction?" the Doctor asks, approaching them.

"Yep, just about that way" Wilfred says and points again. "It'll take maybe half an hour to go there, if we don't hurry. And we have plenty of time, it's still before noon, so we can walk slowly."

"So Arthur is okay?" he asks, worrying about his horse.

"Well, as I Donna said, he has been walking, so he's calm, so probably not hurt. At least I can see no blood. Arthur should be fine."

"Great!" The Doctor's face lights up and he starts walking in the direction his horse should be. "Alonz-y!" he exclaims.

Twenty minutes later, they check the ground again. The hooves have left clear marks to follow.

"See, he's going to the glade, just as I said" Wilfred says proudly. Donna shows her tongue to him, but then she smiles and takes his hand. But her smile disappears soon.

"Gramps. You alright?"

Wilfred is slightly bending forwards, and he's panting.

"I'm fine, just… just not as young as I used to be" he smiles.

"You want us to take a break?" Jack asks.

"Well, we're almost there… it's a bit unnecessary." Wilfred hates being weak, he hates being old. He used to run these forests everyday when he was young, now he barely can walk half an hour before his legs and heart gives up.

The Doctor thinks about it.

"Well, we're almost there, didn't you say so?" he asks.

"Maybe ten minutes away" Wilfred replies. "I can make it."

"But then we have to wait there before we can walk back again" the Doctor says, trying not to be rude. He has noticed that he is sometimes, without meaning it.

"So how about you guys wait here, I follow these to the glade, get the horse, and then come back. You will have time to rest, and I will get my horse" he finishes. "Damn am I brilliant?" he thinks to himself.

"Well, what about if it isn't there?" Ianto asks.

"Weeeell, let's hope he is, but if he isn't, I guess it's bye bye Arthur. We can't look for him forever."

Wilfred thinks about it for a while. Then he shrugs and sits down on a stone.

"Fine then, but be careful. If you aren't back in half an hour, we'll come looking for you."

"Sounds good. I might get stuck investigating an interesting flower, or sometimes I get stuck talking to Arthur" he smiles. Then he turns around and walks towards the Dalek-glade.

The forest is quiet. Actually very quiet. Not a bird can be heard. What is this?

The Doctor walks silently, following the tracks of his horse. They are clear in front of him, so he doesn't worry he'll loose them. He's in deep thought, not really noticing what's around or in front of him. Suddenly, he trips over a root sticking out of the ground, and almost falls on his nose. In the last second, he regains his balance, and stands up, his heart beating fast from the shock.

He can't believe his eyes when he looks up.

His standing at the treeline at a huge glade. An incredibly beautiful glade. The sun is shining down on the millions of flowers covering the ground in a hundred colors. They sway a little in the wind, making small waves. But that's not the most breathtaking sight.

Right in front of him, in the middle of the glade, about 30 meters from him, stands someone and something. The something, is his horse, Arthur. And the someone is a girl.

* * *

><p><strong>A little bit of a cliffhanger again, though you can probably guess who the girl is :)<strong>

**I haven't got that much feedback from this story, only two reviews. Don't you like where this story is heading? Or do you like it? Reviews are much appreciated, and criticism. If you have any wishes for the story, then please do tell. I can't get better, or this story can't be just as you like it if you don't tell me what you think. So please leave a review.**

**I'll try to update more often if that is what you want. But until any response, I'll posting once a week. See you next week, and happy new year! **

**Welcome 2015!**


	6. Chapter 5: The girl in the glade

**Chapter 5: The Girl in the Glade**

She's standing right in front of Arthur, caressing his mule. He seems to enjoy it. They are quite far away, but he can see that the girl is beautiful. She's dressed in a primitive, brown dress which flows around her. Her hair is blond, but seems to glow as gold in the sunlight. The wind makes it flow around her, covering her face. But it almost looks like her whole being is glowing.

The Doctor blinks, believeing he's hallucinating. But when he reopens his eyes, she's still there, caressing his horse.

The girl hasn't noticed him yet, he hasn't moved an inch. But his horse cathes his smell, and moves his face towards him. He neighs happily at his master.

The girl turns around towards him, but at that exact moment, the sun is hidden behind some clouds, and the girl is cast in darkness. He can only see her figure, and he's just about to run to her, wanting to know who this girl can be in the middle of the forest, when he trips over the same root he just almost fell over. This time he looses his balance completely and falls to the ground, his hands stretching out to ease the fall.

When he looks up again, the girl is gone and the sun is shining normally. But the glade is different. It's still beautiful, with all it's flowers and colors, but it just isn't shining in the same way anymore.

The Doctor stands up and wipes his filthy hands on his trousers. Arthur is walking towards him slowly, neighing. It's just as he's saying _Thank god you're here, I was wondering when you'd show up_.

He catches his horse's bridles when Arthur's close enough. Slowly he caresses his steed.

"What have you been up to, eh? Chasing girls?" he says lovingly. Arthur looks into the Doctor's eyes, and there's something in that look. Something strange. The Doctor can't quite place it.

"Who was she? You usually never let anyone near." No answer.

"_Of course not, he's a horse!_" he thinks.

"Common boy, let's get back, they'll be wondering where I am by now. You have caused some trouble, so you better behave."

Arthur neighs. _If you say so._

"That's my boy" the Doctor smiles, patting Arthur's neck. They slowly start going back to the others. And the Doctor can't stop thinking about that mysterious girl. Who could she be, being able to get in contact with Arthur like that? No one had ever done that before.

It only takes them fifteen minutes to get back to Wilfred, Ianto, Donna and Jack, since the Doctor rides.

"You have been free all night and morning, now you have to work a little" he said to his horse. Arthur didn't seem to mind.

Finally, he hears voices through the trees, and soon, he can see them. Wilfred is still sitting on the rock, and Jack and Ianto are sitting around him. Donna is walking around, looking at stuff. Wilfred is obviously telling the men a story, he's passionately whisking his hands, his voice sometimes whispering, sometimes almost shouting. Then he stops.

"Doctor! Finally! We were just about to start searching for you." Wilfred shouts, standing up. Ianto and Jack also rise from the ground.

"Apparently you found your steed" Jack says and approaches them as the Doctor sits down from the horse. "And what a beauty. No wonder you wanted to find him."

Jack smiles and is just about to pat Arthur's neck, but Arthur snorts at him and steps away. When Jack tries again, the horse almost bites him.

"Arthur, behave!" the Doctor says. "Sorry" he continues at Jack. "He doesn't really like strangers."

"That's okay, I think Jack needed that" Wilfred laughs. "Hes not used to anyone not liking him." Ianto laughs and Jack looks offended.

"Speaking about that, I saw something strange in the forest when I found Arthur" the Doctor then says.

"What?" Ianto asks. They look up at the Doctor.

"Well, it was _a blonde girl that could approach Arthur, which no one never can, and she was shining, and then she just disappeared" _But he doesn't say it. Now he realizes how odd it sounds. "They'll think I've gone mad, there's no one ever in that forest" he thinks to himself.

"It was what?" Wilfred asks. Donna is now coming back to them, listening for the Doctor's anwer. She thinks he seams a little bit anxious.

The Doctor thinks fast. "A fox" he lies. "I saw a fox, and it was brilliant."

"A fox, eh?" Jack replies. "Haven't seen one of those since the wolf appeared. But cool for you, foxes are rare, and some say they bring fortune"

"We'll wait and see" the Dotor smiles.

"Now, we shouldn't stay here longer than necessary, time to go back home. Let's go Donna" Wilfred says and claps his hands together. The Doctor nods.

"Anyone wants a ride? The lady maybe?" he chuckles.

"Don't you lady me, stranger!" Donna snaps. "I can walk better than any of you old men here" They laugh and slowly they start making their way back to the village. And during the whole journey, the Doctor walks silently, not being able to stop thinking about the mysterious girl in the woods.

* * *

><p>"So, what are you going to do now?" Jack asks when they are back at the village. "You have your horse. Are you gonna move on?"<p>

They are at the village's pub. It's still pretty early, so not many are there. Donna is at the bar, cleaning. Wilfred is out.

"Weeeell, I had planned to move on, but this place is growing on me" the Doctor lies. He can't stop thinking about the mysterious girl. He's way too curious to just let it go. Maybe he could stay for a while, it's not like anyone is expecting him back in Scotland. There's no one…

"Well, you're welcome to stay here for a while, if you like" Jack smiles.

"Jack, stop it!" Donna shouts from the bar.

Jack chuckles. "Am I not aloud to talk anymore?" he shouts back.

"Nope!" Donna replies.

"I'd like to stay, but if I'm being honest, I don't have that much money" the Doctor admits.

"You could always come and stay with me" Jack says slowly and bends towards him a little.

"Oh, no you don't!"

Suddenly Ianto is there. He towers over Jack, looking down at him.

"You're coming with me!" He grabs Jack's ear and drags him out of the bar.

"You go Ianto!" Donna shouts while the Doctor laughs.

"Thanks, but no thanks!" he replies to Jack before he's dragged out of the building.

"Think about it" Jack's voice comes from outside before they disappear.

"You're welcome to stay here for a while, on the house" Donna offers.

"No, I couldn't" the Doctor declines. "We'll see, I'll figure something out"

He drinks the last of his tea, and then rises from the chair and leaves the bar.

The outside is already getting cooler as winter draws near. He grabs his coat to draw it closer to himself.

"Maybe I'll stay" he thinks to himself. "I mean, there's nothing for me in Scotland, and this girl, I could find out more about her. She seems pretty interesting."

He thinks about it for a while before he makes his deccision. "It's settled then. I'll stay"

* * *

><p><strong>So, he met the "mysterious girl". What is he going to find out about her? You'll see :) Leave a eview, and thank you about the earlier reviews, I'll try to update more often :)<strong>

**Alonz-y!**


	7. Chapter 6: A walk in the forest

**Chapter 6: A walk in the forest**

"_Happy birthday!" His sister gives him a hug and a kiss on his cheek. He hugs her back. _

"_It's been ages, how are you?" he asks happily._

"_I'm great, and you know what?" she says, almost not being able to contain herself. "We're having a baby!"_

"_That's amazing, congratulations!" John shouts and gives her another hug. Then, when his brother-in-law passes by, he gives him a handshake._

"_What about you?" his sister asks. "Have you found anyone yet?"_

"_Nah, not yet. "But don't worry" he assures her. "I don't need anyone, I've got you!"_

* * *

><p>The next morning the Doctor walks out in the forest. Just for research purposes, of course. He looks around. The forest is rather beautiful, he gotta admit that. But it's empty. It's quiet. Not a bird, not an animal. Not any lifeforms at all.<p>

For a couple of hours, he just walks around in the forest, his mind wandering. Every time he starts thinking about his family, he gets a lump in his throat and forces himself to think about something else. And that something else is usually the girl. But the more he thinks about it, the more he starts to believe that he might have gone mad. Why would there be a girl in the middle of the forest, all alone? And that shiney thingy, that's just weird.

Soon, he gives up on trying to understand, and heads back to the village.

"There you are!" Mickey shouts as the Doctor approaches the gates. "We were wondering if you had left, but your horse is still in the stables, so…"

"Arthur" the Doctor replies.

"What?"

"His name is Arthur" he says.

"Oh, okay" Mickey says uncertainly.

"I was just walking around in the forest a little. It sure is beautiful."

Mickey nods. "Yeah, but now, no one's almost never out there. People are scared. We have a monster in the woods we can't understand. I mean,, we have had wolves before, that's nothing new. When I was three, we had a pack of six wolves that haunted the sheep. But we fixed it, we scared them away. But this wolf, it's not natural. It's killing people without reason." Mickey is getting upset again. Talking about the wolf makes him uncomfortable, and he still misses Rose a lot.

"So, do you have any plans. I mean, are you just going to let it be there?" the Doctor asks.

"Well, we tried to get rid of it, and we lost six men. We're not doing that again. I suppose we just have to cope until it dies or something."

"Have many have you lost since the wolf came?" he asks carefully.

Mickey looks down at the ground, not answering,

"A lot" says a voice. The Doctor turns around and sees a black young woman approaching.

"Hello" he says. "I'm the Doctor?"

"I see. So am I?" The woman looks him up and down. "My name is Martha. I'm the villages nurse or medic, or whatever you want to call it." she says. They shake hand.

"I was ready to take care of all the bodies after the wolf, but didn't have to" she says.

"What do you mean?" The young woman is pretty secure about herself, and the Doctor can see that she probably is a very good medic, but a very young girl.

"No one the wolf has ever killed has been found. The bodies disappear. Probably eaten by the wolf. We once went back to the cave where we lost so many good men, and we found two bones. Two. That's it. The women that got widowed that day couldn't even bury their loved ones. The wolf devours all."

There's a silence. The Doctor doesn't know what to say. This wolf is nothing he has ever encountered before, and since he comes from London, and has traveled a lot, there's not much he hasn't seen.

"So, people just disappear during nights, and you never find them again?"

"Yes" Mickey sighs. It made him so sad that he couldn't give Rose a proper burial, and that made it harder to let go of her. Martha looks at him and gives him a small smile. Then she takes his hand and they walk away together. Martha had lost her dad to the wolf, so it had started by just comforting each other, and then it became more. They had been together for a few months now.

The Doctor is left behind at the gates. It's about to get dark, so he decides not to get back to the forest. Better just to be safe. Maybe he could try to get a long nights sleep. Not necessarily a good. He will probably never sleep well again.

* * *

><p>"<em>John…"<em>

_His sister lifts her hand with effort. He takes it and sits down on the bed by her side. Her pale face is filled with spots. Beside her is her husband. He's already gone. Tears run down the two siblings cheeks._

"_Don't leave me, please" John pleads, pressing her hand._

"_He's gone, I have to follow" his sister replies. "And our baby, he needs me, they both do."_

"_What about me, I need you."_

"_I know, but you'll someday find someone else who needs YOU. Just wait, and she'll come."_

"_Gone, all gone, what am I gonna do?" John cries._

"_You're gonna have a good life, John. Promise me that. Have a good life, for me."_

_John nods, and then he bends forward to kiss his sister on the forehead. And she is gone. He is alone._

* * *

><p>"No!"<p>

The Doctor sits up in the bed. He hasn't dreamed about that in a long time. His heart is beating fast, and it hurts. It hurts so much. He can't take it, he has to move.

He gets up from the bed and packs his things. Then he runs out from the silent building.

It's in the middle of the night and it's pitch black out. Everything is still.

The Doctor runs towards the stables. He doesn't even greet Arthur, he just throws everything on him and mounts his , without a singe look back, he gallops out of the village.

* * *

><p><strong>How is this story going so far? One of my friends rad it and she told me I was a real drama queen. I suppose I am :) I hope you don't mind :)<strong>

**Leave a review, and I'll see you next week!**


	8. Chapter 7: A run through the forest

**Chapter 7: A run through the forest**

He won't stop. He can't stop. He just keeps on moving. He has to move forward.

Arthur is panting, his hooves hit the ground with loud thumps. He's tired. But the Doctor won't let him stop, he makes his steed run faster, and faster, and faster.

Then, Arthur gives up. He stops suddenly, in the middle of the forest. This time the Doctor manages to stay in the saddle.

"Common Arthur, go on!" he shouts at his horse. Arthur won't move. The Doctor sighs and jumps down from the saddle.

"I'm sorry Arthur, for putting you through this. I just had to get out."

Arthur snorts. _It's okay, I understand_.

The Doctor looks around. It's silent and still all around him. Very dark. He can only see some trees around him, further away it's too dark to see anything.

He takes a deep breath, trying to calm down his beating heart.

"Oh Arthur, what am I going to do?" he whispers to Arthur. "There's no escape."

Then, he looks up and gazes at the stars. They shine brightly, without a single problem in the world.

"They are rather beautiful, don't you think?" he asks Arthur. Then he notices that something is wrong. It's silent, but not ordinary silent. Not that kind of peaceful silent. This silence is dark, and scary. This silence is shared.

They are not alone.

Arthur neighs. To the Doctor's surprise, he doesn't seem scared. Just curious. He turns to the same direction which Arthur is looking.

And freezes.

They are definitely not alone. Between the trees, cast in total darkness, two yellow eyes stare at him. Watching.

_The wolf_.

He doesn't know what to do. He can barely breath. The wolf's breath comes out in small puffs. It's the only movement for the moment. It hasn't attacked. Not yet.

"_If I move, it will come"_ the Doctor thinks to himself. "_If I don't move, it will come sooner or later_ _anyway_"

Then he remembers the rifle. In the saddle.

"_If I move fast, I might reach it in time_"

He glances at the saddle. Three, two, one… NOW!

He jumps at the saddle as the wolf growls and takes a leap towards him. Arthur neighs and rises on two hooves, his front hooves hitting the air. The Doctor has to jump to reach the saddlebags, and soon, he can feel the cold steel under his fingers. He grabs it, and without thinking, he turns around and and with eyes closed, fires.

The blast echoes through the forest. The wolf howls, and after that, nothing but silence again.

The Doctor opens his right eye. Nothing in sight. He opens his left eye. Nothing. The wolf is nowhere to be seen. Somehow, that's even more scary. Now it could be anywhere, luring at him from the darkness.

His hands shaking, the Doctor drops the rifle. "_Did I hit it?"_

His leg start to shake, so he sits down on the ground, burying his face in his hands, gasping. He jumps when something thouches his shoulder, but it's only Arthur.

_Common, we can't stay here all night _he seems to say as he pushes his mule into his master.

Shaking, the Doctor stands up. He takes another deep breath and sits up in the saddle. The rifle is left down on the ground as the Doctor slowly rides away.

After a while, the Doctor relaxes. "_I'm alive! That's the second near-death that has happened to me in this bloody forest. And I have a feeling it wont be the last."_

Then he frowns. Now what? He has no idea where he is, and no idea where to go. And he can't stay safe from the wolf in the middle of the forest. He fear that he has been lucky this far, but he can't expect it to stay that way. If he keeps encountering the beast, sooner or later, it will get him.

But maybe it wouldn't be that bad…

His sister's words echo in his mind: _Have a good life. For me._

Then he stops. Right in front of him is a cabin. A small cabin, in the middle of nowhere. He stares at it. It seems to be empty, at least there are no light's shining in the small windows.

He rides closer and then stops Arthur at the small stairs that lead up to the front door. He jumps down from the saddle.

"Hello?" he shouts. "Anybody there?"

Silence. He shouts a little harder, just to be sure."Hello?"

Still no answer.

"I guess I'll just enter" he says to Arthur. The horse is not interested, he's happily eating some grass that's soon going to be covered in snow.

The Doctor turns towards the door and presses down the door handle. It's locked. He didn't expect it to be open. He puts his hand into one of his coat pockets and picks up his sonic screwdriver. It's a small invention of his, his little secret. With it, he could probably be the best burglar in the world. Good thing he's too honest. And not really that interested in money.

He puts the screwdriver to the locket, and with a blue light and a buzzing sound, the door opens up with a 'click'. Slowly he opens it.

It's totally empty and dark inside the cabin. He can't see much, but he finds a candle on the floor and lights it.

The cabin is small. It seems to be made up on two or three rooms. He enters what appears to be the living room. It's quite spacey actually, with a table with chairs, a sofa and a carpet. There's a fireplace by the sofa, and a kitchen by the table. One side of the cabin is filled with bookshelves and a whole lot of books.

He steps further into the cabin to inspect. There are two more doors. He looks into the first one, and finds a bedroom. There's a bed, with a mattress and a blanket. There's a small wardrobe and a small table also in the room.

The Doctor looks through the second door and finds an outhouse in the small room.

"Nice" he thinks to himself. This cabin is quite cosy, actually. "Maybe I'll stay"

He sits down on the sofa and looks around. There's something in the cabin that gives him the creeps, but also comforts him at the same time. As if there's someone in there, someone he knows, but hidden in the shadows. The Doctor shakes is head, trying to shake those ridiculous thoughts away. But when he goes to sleep in the bed, he can't stop seeing shadows in every corner. And he is right. But there's nothing inside the cabin. It's outside...

* * *

><p><strong>A weird cabin in the woods? That's strange... And it''s about to get even stranger...<strong>

**Leave a review :) (please)**


	9. Chapter 8: Bad Wolf cabin

**Chapter 8: Bad Wold Cabin**

The sun shines in through the small window in the bedroom, waking the Doctor. He yawns and sits up in the bed. It had actually been pretty comfortable.

It's freezing in the cabin, so he decides he should go out and get some wood so he could get a fire. He dresses warmly and leaves the cabin. Arthur is outside. The Doctor had brought him a blanket before he went to bed. But if he decided to stay, he should build some sort of shelter to Arthur before the winter.

It's getting very cold, but it seems to be a beautiful morning. The sun is shining brightly and the sky is blue. The trees slowly dance in the breeze. For a moment, the Doctor looks almost… peaceful. Happy.

Arthur neighs at the sight of his master.

"Common Arthur, let's get some wood" he tells his steed. When he walks round the small cabin (it's almost as if it's bigger on the inside) he notices a small shackle behind it. He can see that there are already a little bit of firewood, but not nearly enough. He should probably start storing for the winter. he also finds an ax and some other tools that might be useful. He grabs the ax and some rope he finds and then they wander of into the woods.

The Doctor is sure he won't get lost this time, not when he walks this slowly and it's broad daylight. And if he really gets lost, Arthur will probably find back. Slowly they walk through the forest. The Doctor misses hearing birds twitter in the trees, he hasn't heard that since he got close to the Torchwood forest. No birds near the wolf.

The Doctor get's to a small opening in the trees, there he finds some small trees he can cut down and use as firewood. He grabs the ax and starts working. The sound of it hitting the wood echoes through the forest. Otherwise it's silent.

Though it's cold, soon the Doctor is sweating. He pants and with a last swing of the ax, the tree falls to the ground with a thump.

"Now starts the real work" he says to Arthur. He starts copping the tree into smaller pieces. It takes him two hour to finish it. Then he sits down to rest. He closes his eyes for a while, letting his mind wander.

* * *

><p>He has been sitting there for who knows how long when there's a noise in the forest.<p>

"Doctor! Oi!" a familiar voice shouts. The Doctor snaps his eyes open and stands up. Donna is walking fast towards him. Behind her he can see Wilfred, and even further away he can see Jack.

"Donna? What are you doing here?" he asks.

"Searching for you of course, dumbass!" Donna shouts, rolling her eyes. "You just disappeared, so we feared something had happened. We have been searching for you ever since dawn. What were you thinking?"

"Ummm…" the Doctor says, still a little bit overwhelmed.

"Please tell us next time you leave" Wilfred says.

"There will be no next time!" Donna shouts, putting her hands on her hips and staring angrily at the Doctor. Beyond the anger is fear and worry. Donna has gotten quite attached to the strange man, and doesn't want him hurt. When she found out he was gone, she got rally scared. She was the one to gather a few men to look for him. The other one's had already given up, it's already quite late.

"You're coming back with us right now!" she says, grabbing his hand and starting to walk back to the village.

"I wanted to hold the Doctor's hand!" Jack suddenly says, appearing from the trees. "How come you get to do that?" He sounds like an four-year old that didn't get candy like his friends.

"Because I have no intention of sleeping with him" Donna shouts back, still pulling the Doctor by his hand. He get's red in the face by Donna's comment, and doesn't now what to do when the young woman drags him away.

"Donna, please calm down and let go of the Doctor" Wilfred says. He can see that the Doctor is confused and surprised by their sudden appearance. Wilfred isn't just any old man, he's a very wise old man and can see deeper into the Doctor's soul that he thinks.

Donna looks at her grampa and stops, letting go of the Doctor. They now all stand gathered in the forest, all staring at the Doctor.

"Um, well, uh…" he stammers.

"Why did you leave?" Donna asks, for once not screaming.

"I… um… thought I heard... um…"

_Think, think, think!_

"...a voice!" he says. "I heard someone in the forest, so I decided to check it up and then I got lost." Which wasn't even such a big lie, he _did _get lost.

"And you decided to take all your stuff with you?" Jack asks suspiciously.

"Weeeeell, you never know what you're gonna need" he replies.

They watch him for a moment, the Doctor isn't really sure that they believe him, but then they seem to let it go.

"But why were you cutting trees?" Donna says, looking back at the small tree the Doctor had cut down.

The Doctor turns around. "Oh yeah… that. Well, I found this cabin, and since I didn't want to be a bother to you guys anymore, I mean" he looks at Donna" I can't stay in that tavern of yours forever. So I though I'd live here until I leave."

"Cabin?" Wilfred asks. "That has to be Bad Wolf cabin."

"What? Bad Wolf Cabin? Why is it called that?" the Doctor asks.

"Well-" Wilfred says, but Donna interrupts.

"Wait a minute! Stay here? Are you mad? We have a man-eating wolf in the forest, you can't stay here! It's not safe!"

"Well, I slept here this night, and no wolf. At least, I'm still alive" he replies, smiling. No way he's telling them about the attack last night. He wonders for a moment what happened to the wolf. It actually seemed as if he hit it. "Or I hope I am" he tries to joke. No one laughs.

_Well, that's embarrassing._

"Well, still, you can't just count on one night, the wolf might appear anytime!" Donna continues.

"Nah, why would it be interested in me, I don't taste that well, I'm all bones and skin" he says.

"But still…" Donna says. "It's no problem if you stay at the tavern, no problem at all."

Wilfred eyes the Doctor. He's broken, he can see that. His eyes… something is missing. This man needs… Wilfred doesn't know what he needs, but probably not a young woman to try to get him to come somewhere he seemingly doesn't want to be.

"Donna, he's a grown man who can defend and take care of himself" he says to his granddaughter. Donna looks, surprised, at her grampa.

"What? Are you siding with him? Grampa!"

Wilfred smiles and turns to the Doctor. "That cabin hasn't been used since the wolf came, so it's all yours. But you're welcome to come back to Torchwood, or just visit, whenever you want" he says. The Doctor smiles at the old man.

"I'll keep that in mind. And all of you… thank you. For all you've done."

The Doctor shakes hands with Wilfred and gives Donna a hug.

"Just go northwest and you'll get to the village" Jack says and gives him a tight hug. Then he whispers in the Doctor's ear. "And my door is always open." He pulls away and winks before the three of them leave and leave the Doctor. He looks after them, not sure of he feels happy or sad.

"Well Arthur, it seems as if it's just you and me again" he says to his horse. "Alonz-y!"

He picks up all the wood they had cut and starts walking back to "Bad Wolf Cabin."

* * *

><p><strong>Not a very interesting chapter, I know. But wait for it, it's coming :) I just wanted to introduce you to the "Bad Wolf Cabin"<strong>

**What did you otherwise think? Leave a review :)**


	10. Chapter 9: Secrets in the snowstorm

**Chapter 9: Secrets in the snowstorm**

It's snowing outside. The Doctor is sitting in the couch, reading a book. It has been snowing for a whole day now, and it's just getting colder by the minute. Winter came fast, and the Doctor is happy that he managed to get enough firewood before the snow came. He also had time to build a small shed for Arthur, who is happily eating hay. It took only four days since he departed from Wilfred, Donna and Jack until winter came.

The wind howls outside the window as the Doctor turns the page. The fire crackles in the fireplace, and it's nice and comfy in the cabin.

The Bad Wolf cabin.

He still wonders about the name. It bothers him that Wilfred didn't have time to say where it got it's name. It had something to do with the wolf, and by the look on Wilfred's face, it hadn't been anything good. The Doctor has a very good imagination, sometimes too good, and he had started to imagine a lot of things that could have happened in this cabin. He almost scared himself away, he was thinking about leaving, maybe returning to the village, but then the snow came, and he got stuck in the cabin. Snow wasn't too bad, he rather enjoyed snow and winter, but now it is a snowstorm outside, and he would probably get lost there if he left now.

Even though he has it good in the cabin, he also had time to hunt so there's no lack of food, everything is not okay. The Doctor realizes that he is rather lonely. He quite liked the people back in the village. They had been so very nice.

Suddenly, he hears something. He lifts his gaze from the page to look out the window. It's dark outside, but he can see the snow swirling. He listens, trying to hear something, but nothing but the wind is heard. He continues to read, when he hears it again.

_Help._

Now he stands up, certain that he heard a voice from the outside. Someone screaming for help. He opens up the door and looks out. The snow immediately swirls into the cabin, making a small layer on the floor. The Doctor shivers, it's freezing outside.

"Hello!" he shouts. "Is anybody there?"

No answer. He screams again, but the wind takes his words and carry them away. Just when he turns around to close the door, the voice shouts again.

_Help._

"I can't leave him there, he'll die" the Doctor thinks to himself. But the thought about going out there in the dark is not very attracting. He stands shivering on the doorstep, trying to decide.

"Oh buggers" he says to himself. He grabs his coat and shoes, and leaves the cabin.

The snow nearly blinds him. He tries to look through the darkness, shouting for the person in need. His hands are icecold, and he can't feel his feet.

"Hello!" he shouts. "Can someone hear me?"

_Help me. Doctor._

The Doctor stops. How can he know who he is?

"Who are you?" he shouts out in the darkness. He's just about to give up, there's no way he could find anyone in the storm, he'll just end up killing himself, when he sees something. A small light.

He starts walking towards it, believing that it's the cabin. But it's not.

When he comes closer, the light slowly fades and he sees something laying on the ground. Someone.

"Hello! Are you okay?" he shouts are runs to the body on the cold snow.

He hopes that after all this work he isn't dead. But it's not a he. It's a she.

It's the girl from the Dalek glade.

He kneels at her body. She's wearing the same dress she had when he saw her for the first time. She's ice cold, and the snow is covering her in a small layer. Her face is covered in ice crystals and so is her blond hair, which is almost white now. She's almost as pale as the snow.

"Please don't be dead, please don't be dead" he pleads as he puts two fingers to her neck.

_Thump thump_

_Thump thump_

Her heart beat is very slow, but she's alive. He looks up, trying to see if anyone else is nearby, but it's impossible to say. He can barely see more than a few inch ahead. He looks down at the girl. Who knows how long she had been laying here, it's a miracle she is still alive, dressed like this.

With stiff arms and fingers, the Doctor wraps his arms around her and lifts her up bridal style. She doesn't react, and slowly he starts carrying her back to the cabin. Fortunately, he can still see his old footsteps and he follows them until he can see the light of his temporary home.

He slowly rises of the small steps up to the door, now so cold he can't feel his whole body. The door is opened and the warmth of the fire surrounds him. He carries the girl into his bedroom and lays her down there. Then he starts making tea and doing everything he can to keep the girl alive. She must get warm, but it can't go to fast. He can feel his skin burning when it warms up.

He puts all the blankets he can find on the bed. She's still unconscious, but every now and then he checks her pulse. It's getting stronger. He makes himself tea and then puts the rest of the hot water into his water pouch and puts it under the blankets. Slowly, the girl warms up and the ice on her skin melts. He hair get's back it's blond color, and soon, he paleness disappears.

At last, the Doctor can relax. She'll be fine.

The rest of the night he sits at the bed, watching over her, wondering how on earth she could know his name.

* * *

><p><strong>Nothing much to say, at last he found her :) What did you think? Leave a review :)<strong>


	11. Chapter 10: Ulvy and the Doctor

**Chapter 10: Ulvy and the Doctor**

Rose wakes up with a shout. She looks around.

_I'm at home. How on earth did I get here_? she thinks. Then she notices the man sitting in a chair by her bed. He's still asleep, her shout didn't wake him.

_What is going on?_

She tries to get up from the bed when a pain shoots through her body and she looks down. Her side is covered in a bandage. Blood has already started to come through, making a small spot on all the white. With a sigh, Rose lays down back on the bed. She tries to remember what had happened.

_I was in the forest. It was snowing. A lot. It felt as if my body was burning and freezing at the same time. I tried to shout for help. Then I fell down in the snow. I can't remember what happened after that. Am I dead?_

She shivers.

"I hope I'm not dead"

"You're not. But it was close" a voice says. Rose hadn't realized that she said it out loud.

Her head snaps towards the man by her bed. He's watching her, and she wonders if he even was asleep, or just pretending.

"Who are you?" she asks, a little bit frightened. Not that he could really hurt her, no one can anymore, but still...

"I'm the Doctor" the man answers, bending slightly towards her, eyeing her.

"Doctor what?" she asks. He looks a little bit disappointed, as if she should know who he is.

"Just the Doctor" he replies.

This woman in front of him is so strange. How could she survive that snowstorm, and where on earth had she got that injury in her stomach? She should have died long ago. And what is it about her that draws him to her? She's just different. Her brown eyes looking into his, and her blond hair that shines like gold.

"And you miss" he continues "is rather a miracle. I don't know how long you had been out there, but it's amazing that you're still alive. And where did you injure yourself?"

Rose is about to tell this stranger to leave her house when she realizes that he would have saved her life, if it would be possible. At least he had carried her away from the storm and taken care of her during the night. Something she had to give in return. But then he had to leave. He had to go far far away. But for now she has to lie. But it's nothing new. Rose has been living in her own lies for so long now it's like they live their own lives.

"I fell down a cliff" she lies smoothly. "And you, sir..."

"Not sir, just Doctor" he says.

"Okay, Doctor, I do thank you, I'm very grateful, but I have to ask. What are you doing in my house, and how did you find it?"

The Doctor looks at her in surprise.

"What? Your house? You live here?" he asks.

"Well... yes" Rose answers, still trying to figure this strange man out.

"But, I heard it was empty. They told me no one lived here" he says, standing up. He starts wandering around the small room.

If this woman really lived here, then he had to move. But where would he go? It would be rather foolish and humiliating to return to Torchwood, even though they had said that he was welcome. And it seems like it's the only way, since he can't start making his way to Scotland now, in this weather.

"They?" Rose asks. She is still very confused, and can feel her stomach pounding, sending small waves of pain through her body. Also she is still weak and very sleepy. It's hard to get a grip on what's going on.

"The village people. From Torchwood" he replies distractedly, continuing his wander.

Rose gasps. Torchwood. He has been to Torchwood. Then he must know about...

"By the way" he suddenly says, stopping on the floor. "I didn't catch your name."

Rose is taken by surprise. She can't tell him her real name, he might know that she should be dead, and that would probably lead to a lot of unwanted questions. She can't have that. It would put her in a very dangerous position, not talking about the man in front of him. Her 'savior'.

"I'm... " she says slowly, her mind working like crazy "...Ulvy" she says. Then she curses herself. Ulvy?! What the hell? Where did that come from? There's no way he's gonna believe that!

"Nice to meet you Ulvy" the Doctor says and stretches out his hand with a smile. He knows that she's lying he can see it in her eyes, but if she is, it's her secret. It's not his job, or problem, to find out what. He's the stranger in her house and has no right to dig in her life.

Rose looks at the hand suspiciously. Ulvy? He bought that? Slowly she stretches out her hand and shakes his. His hand is rather cold, but it's just probably her skin which is hot.

"Nice to meet you too... Doctor"

He smiles at her, and he looks rather cute, his hair going in all directions. It makes her want to pulls her finger through it. But when she looks into his eyes she can see that beyond the cheerfulness is something else. Something entirely different. Something she's rather stay away from.

"So, I suppose you want me out of here" he says. Rose now notices that there's a fire crackling in the fireplace, and a big pile of wood by the side. Water is boiling, and the smell of food is all around the place.

Food. Real food. She haven't eaten that in a long while. And she really should thank him some way. Maybe, he could stay. At least for the day. She doesn't know what to do when night comes, but she has the whole day to figure it out.

"Nah" she smiles. "You can stay, at least for today. I think I need you to make me a cuppa, and then I'll find a way to say 'thank you'"

"That's very nice of you Ulvy" he says, smiling that adorable smile again. "Cuppa tea coming up"

With a sigh, Rose lays down back on the bed. The minute the man turns his back to her to fetch some tea, her smile falters.

For the moment, she hates herself. She knows that this man is doomed. There's no way she can save him now. She should have made him leave.

It was just that, she had missed people. And this man, this totally random stranger, had risked, maybe his life, to save her. And it was something about him that made her think she just couldn't let him go.


End file.
